Childhood favourites

[Albergman]

Ay up, Albergman!

The "panting" you heard was the Westinghouse pump. Makes a loco so fitted sound like it's pawing at the deck and chafing at the bit.

Sure does and appropriately too! What does it do for a steam engine?

Frank

[kudu]

It was exciting to have an express engine disconnect from its train and back onto that siding below me where I could feel the heat from it and hear it "panting" as it sat there taking on water. (Stilll don't know what that sound was!)

There were also Springbok and Impala on the scene but I don't know what class they were.

I feel it's my responsibility to tell you they were B1 4-6-0s, Thompson's answer to Stanier's Black 5. Springbok was the first, built at Darlington December 1942 and Impala third, Darlington September 1943. I (Kudu) was ninth, Darlington May 1944, but I doubt you ever saw me as I was too far south.

For me the "panting" of the Westinghouse brake evokes above all Liverpool Street station, with its N7s seemingly at every platform end in the "old" station in the late 50s/early 60s.

Kudu

[Albergman]

It was exciting to have an express engine disconnect from its train and back onto that siding below me where I could feel the heat from it and hear it "panting" as it sat there taking on water. (Stilll don't know what that sound was!)

There were also Springbok and Impala on the scene but I don't know what class they were.

I feel it's my responsibility to tell you they were B1 4-6-0s, Thompson's answer to Stanier's Black 5. Springbok was the first, built at Darlington December 1942 and Impala third, Darlington September 1943. I (Kudu) was ninth, Darlington May 1944, but I doubt you ever saw me as I was too far south.

For me the "panting" of the Westinghouse brake evokes above all Liverpool Street station, with its N7s seemingly at every platform end in the "old" station in the late 50s/early 60s.

Kudu

Well thanks for that Kudu. I'm afraid it's too late for me, being of "a certain age", to learn about engine classes and I'm barely hanging on to a few fond memories from my distant past. Nice to hear that you too have remembrances from the steam era.

Frank

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I strongly recommend, that you hang around here as much as possible, we'll soon have you educated, it don't take much.

manna

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

As I tell the kids I teach on a Monday - "Stick wi' me and I'll teach you all I know." I then look at my watch and say "Got 10 minutes? "

There are two train braking systems - vacuum and air. Many locos have steam brakes in addition but just on the loco.

With vac brakes, vacuum keeps the brakes off and admission of air into the pipe applies them. Vacuum is maintained by the ejector, usually within the cab on LMS engines, beside the smokebox on ex-Midland designs and immediately in front of the cab of GWR and (more visibly) Stanier LMS engines. The long pipe under the handrail on the driver's side of the boiler is the ejector exhaust pipe.

With air brakes, air pressure keeps them off and requires a steam pump to create the pressure. These were widely used on the Great Eastern and some Scottish railways. Most engines had both air pumps and ejectors and so were dual fitted.

For once, my fave website howstuffworks.com doesn't have any vids! Try this: http://www.sdrm.org/faqs/brakes.html for the Westo and http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2010 ... akes-work/ for vac.

[60800]

Talking of cabbing 'childhood favourites', I've just driven City of Truro at Railfest

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Blackout, for that outburst of swearing ( I've just driven City of Truro) go straight home and do not collect $200.

manna

[60800]

I don't need $200, I've driven a steam loco for the first time in my life

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

I had my hand on a regulator this weekend just gone meself for the first time since I was about 8 (circa 1974 ). OK, Narrow Gauge Barclay 0-6-0T rather than 45212 last time out but it still lives!

You never forget yer first.

Now wash your mouth out with soap and water, Blackout! I shall do the same.....

[kudu]

I'm afraid it's too late for me, being of "a certain age", to learn about engine classes and I'm barely hanging on to a few fond memories from my distant past. Nice to hear that you too have remembrances from the steam era.

Frank

Plenty of such memories here. Mine include more recent ones from China. To plug my own, I posted a longish piece on here a year ago (6 June, to be exact) called "A place by the railway", in the Non-LNER Rly Chat section. Lots of loco classes, though, and the "place" is in London.

Kudu